This is an honest review of the Cintiq 24HD Monitor by Comic Artist Hal Hefner, someone who knows the Wacom Cintiq products well.

MY HISTORY AS A COMIC ARTIST USING WACOM PRODUCTS:

As a comic artist who does most of my work digitally, the development of Wacom’s Cintiq monitors has been one of the biggest, life changing and career saving technological advancements I have ever encountered.

Since birth I have been drawing and painting in everything from watercolor to oil to acrylic. But my art was missing something I felt, until I was able to combine these traditional painting medias with Photoshop. Since the moment I began using it in 1995, my life was forever changed.

Using Intuos 4 pen technology, the new 24in Cintiq offers a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 92 percent of Adobe RGB, improved connectivity and controls, and a massive, semi-industrial stand. For those who want to see what they draw on the surface they're working on, it's the ultimate artist and designer tool.

Today is an exciting day for graphics-tablet fans in general and Cintiq fans in particular. When we reviewed the 20in Wacom Cintiq 21UX recently, our biggest complaint was the screen's 4:3 aspect ratio and sub Full HD resolution. We recommended Wacom bring out a model with a 1,920 x 1,200 panel minimum, and that's exactly what the company has done with its brand new Cintiq 24HD.

As its name suggests, the 24HD sports a 24in panel. But it's not just larger and with a higher resolution, Wacom has also upped the colour gamut and increased contrast. Meanwhile the chassis is a complete, ground-up redesign, with improved controls and an industrial stand that puts many architects' drafting tables to shame, as well as more connectivity options.

I played with the gigantic Wacom Cintiq 24HD last week. It is so well designed and it works so incredibly well that I found myself giggling like a little girl. I drew and drew and I became addicted.

After a while I wanted to lick it. Then I wanted to hump its movable arm. I wanted to take it home, make love to her, marry her in Vegas, have five children, and then divorce to marry her again in Niagara Falls just for kicks. Wacom Cintiq 24HD: I love you.

We've felt a strange attraction this 24-inch slab of professional graphics wonderment ever since we caught it trying to sneak its substantial bulk through the FCC. How do we feel about it now that it's all official, priced up at a daunting $2500 and we've had some time with it in the flesh?

The H-IPS panel might not sound that special on paper -- 1920x1200 resolution, 550:1 contrast, 178 degree viewing angle -- but those specs overlook the gentle matte quality of the anti-glare display, which is clearly designed to be stared at closely for hours on end. Drawing with the battery-free and cordless pen delivers 2048 degrees of sensitivity and feels about as natural as it gets on this type of device, though there's that inevitable tiny lag between touching the screen and seeing the result.

The 24HD is three inches bigger than last year's Cintiq 21UX, covers a greater color gamut at 92 percent of Adobe RGB, and costs $500 more. But again, none of this really explains how outlandish the 24HD really is: at 65 pounds it's by far the heaviest 24-incher we've never tried to lift, thanks to huge bezels for resting your elbows on and housing large scroll-wheel controls, as well as a sturdy spring-loaded base that lets you work in a myriad of positions. You'll only have to wait til early October to see it in stores, but our hands-on video above should hopefully keep you sated in the meantime.